Partridge Berry Mitchella repens L.
Partridge Berry is one of the plants I knew as a child; I remember my father identifying it for me. It’s a trailing vine, and an evergreen that’s a native all over New England, and the Eastern half of the U.S. and Canada. The leaves are glossy, small and dark green with, sometimes, a lighter green line down their center. Look for Partridge Berry in partial shade, under the cover of trees of evergreens, or near boggy ground. The berries are a bright red, and devoured by birds, particularly grouse. The bright red berries and green leaves survive even after it snows, providing food when other plants are barren. It’s a great ground cover in terms of landscaping since it readily spreads it’s trailing stems and leaves (the repens of the botanical name Mitchella repens L. means “trailing”). As the stem branches out, closely hugging the ground, individual leaves will send out roots.
Partridge Berry is a member of the Madder family. Each berry is formed by two flowers, which is the onomastic link for Partridge Berry’s other name, Twin Berry. The flowers bloom in spring, and are small, white, and fuzzy. Each pair of flowers share a single calyx or ovary, and produce a single red berry, marked by two small dark spots, the remainders of the two blossoms. The pairs of flowers have two forms; one with a short pistil and long stamens. The other form has a long pistil and short stamens. This prevents self-fertilization. Both flowers in a pair must be pollinated in order to produce fruit.
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Maine “beach rose” Rosa rugosa
I have always loved the “beach roses,” those bright pink and rose colored blooms that appear in late July and early August along the shore all over the New England coast. In August, you can often find buds, blossoms and hips all at once. Until fairly recently, I thought I’d try to find a friend or nursery willing to pack some Rosa rugosa cuttings or young plants and ship them to me in Washington, to try growing them into a hedge (instead of the ubiquitous blackberry hedges of the Pacific Northwest).
Rosa rugosa is originally a species of rose native to eastern Asia, particularly northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia. It is often found on the coasts there. Originally introduced to North America in the mid 1800s, c. 1845, for its ornamental qualities, it spread rapidly all along the New England coast. Now, Rosa rugosa is considered an invasive species, or a noxious weed, depending on locale. In Maine, Rosa rugosa is classed as invasive.
Nootka Rose Image credit: brewbooks
As an alternative to importing Rosa rugosa to Puget Sound Washington, I’ve now altered plans to plant the Pacific Northwest native rose, Rosa nutkana, the “Nootka rose.” It is similar to Rosa rugosa in some respects, including its tolerance for boundary areas, and coastal weather patterns. It’s also inclined to produce hedges, so it might work even better than Rosa rugosa as a natural thorny barrier that will offer shelter and food for birds as well as attractive flowers and greenery.
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These Rhododendrons looked faintly pink when they first opened, then turned a brilliant white.
These were some of the darkest Lilacs I’ve ever seen.
This is more like the Lilacs I’m used to, and the Hummingbirds are wildly enthusiastic about it.
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Azaelas
Apple blossoms
Crabapple blossoms
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) these are tiny flowers, and usually have a tinge of blue. I’ve written about them before.
Violets. I love them so much. I know they have a tendency to take over where ever they’re planted, but they work well as ground cover where you don’t object to aggressive colonization.
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